Sci-Tech news

• Astronomers probe swirling particles in halo of starburst galaxy

  27-03-2017 22:46
  
  Astronomers have used a radio telescope in outback Western Australia to see the halo of a nearby starburst galaxy in unprecedented detail.
  
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• Expect more deadly heat from climate change, study says

  27-03-2017 22:37
  
  Deaths related to extreme heatare expected to keep rising, even if most nations can contain global warming at agreed-upon levels, a new study reports.
  
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• Bird flu found in chicken flock at northwest Georgia farm

  27-03-2017 22:30
  
  About 18,000 chickens were destroyed at a northwest Georgia poultry farm after tests confirmed avian influenza in the flock, the first time the disease has been detected in commercial birds in the state, authorities said Monday.
  
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• Colombia 'panic buttons' expose activists

  27-03-2017 22:23
  
  It is supposed to help protect human-rights activists, labor organizers and journalists working in risky environments, but a GPS-enabled "panic button" that Colombia's government has issued to about 400 people could be exposing them to more peril.
  
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• Uber resumes self-driving car program after brief suspension

  27-03-2017 22:22
  
  Uber says it is resuming its self-driving car program in Arizona and Pittsburgh after it was suspended following a crash over the weekend.
  
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• Trump poised to roll back climate protections

  27-03-2017 22:22
  
  US President Donald Trump will on Tuesday roll back a slew of environmental protections enacted by Barack Obama, in a bid to untether the fossil fuel industry.
  
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• Lawsuit: Hackers stole customer data at 1,000 Arby's stores

  27-03-2017 22:22
  
  A Connecticut couple says Georgia-based Arby's restaurants failed to prevent hackers from stealing customer information at hundreds of its stores.
  
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• Zika virus protein mapped to speed search for cure

  27-03-2017 22:21
  
  A study published today shows how Indiana University scientists are speeding the path to new treatments for the Zika virus, an infectious disease linked to birth defects in infants in South and Central America and the United States.
  
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• Samsung to sell refurbished safety-recalled Note 7 phones

  27-03-2017 22:21
  
  Samsung announced Monday it would sell some Note 7 smartphones that were recalled for safety reasons as refurbished devices, in an effort to manage its stockpile in an "environmentally friendly" manner.
  
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• Satellites reveal bird habitat loss in California

  27-03-2017 22:20
  
  Drought and reduced seasonal flooding of wetlands and farm fields threaten a globally important stopover site for tens of thousands of migratory shorebirds in California's Sacramento Valley, a new Duke University-led study shows.
  
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• Researchers create artificial materials atom-by-atom

  27-03-2017 22:19
  
  Researchers at Aalto University have manufactured artificial materials with engineered electronic properties. By moving individual atoms under their microscope, the scientists were able to create atomic lattices with a predetermined electrical response. The possibility to precisely arrange the atoms on a sample bring 'designer quantum materials' one step closer to reality. By arranging atoms in a lattice, it becomes possible to engineer the electronic properties of the material through the atomi
  
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• Researchers link orphan receptor to opioid-induced itching

  27-03-2017 22:15
  
  Opioids have long been an important tool in the world of pain management, but the side effects of these drugs - from addiction and respiratory failure to severe itching and dizziness, can be overwhelming. Scientists have been trying to understand how these side effects happen so they can create better, less problematic pain relievers.
  
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• For the birds: New prediction method sheds brighter light on flight

  27-03-2017 21:24
  
  Resembling a feathered flying ace with his miniature protective goggles and chinstrap, the parrotlet named Obie stood ready to take off. On signal, Obie propelled into the air, flapped through a laser field infused with microparticles and landed on another perch three feet away.
  
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• More than hundred years of flooding and erosion in one event

  27-03-2017 21:23
  
  Sara Rathburn of Colorado State University and colleagues have developed an integrated sediment, wood, and organic carbon budget for North St. Vrain Creek in the semi-arid Colorado Front Range following an extreme flooding event in September of 2013. Erosion of more than 500,000 cubic meters, or up to ~115-years-worth of weathering products, occurred through landsliding and channel erosion during this event.
  
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• Timing a space laser with a NASA-style stopwatch

  27-03-2017 21:21
  
  To time how long it takes a pulse of laser light to travel from space to Earth and back, you need a really good stopwatch—one that can measure within a fraction of a billionth of a second.
  
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• NASA sees tiny Tropical Cyclone Caleb fading

  27-03-2017 21:18
  
  Tropical Cyclone Caleb is weakening in the Southern Indian Ocean and NASA's Aqua satellite caught one of the last bursts of strength as it passed overhead.
  
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• The Doors to Facebook's Town Hall Feature Are Now Open Nationwide - Adweek

  27-03-2017 21:15
  
  Adweek
  The Doors to Facebook's Town Hall Feature Are Now Open Nationwide
  Adweek
  The Town Hall feature Facebook began rolling out earlier this month is now available to all U.S. users, via mobile and desktop. Town Hall is accessible via the More menu on both mobile and desktop, and it provides a one-stop shop for following and ...
  You can now call your congressman through FacebookThe Gazette: Eastern Iowa Breaking News and Headlines
  New Facebook Tools Make It Easier to Contact PoliticiansGo
  
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• Renewable energy has robust future in much of Africa: study

  27-03-2017 21:00
  
  As Africa gears up for a tripling of electricity demand by 2030, a new Berkeley study maps out a viable strategy for developing wind and solar power while simultaneously reducing the continent's reliance on fossil fuels and lowering power plant construction costs.
  
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• Our aging scientific workforce raises concerns

  27-03-2017 21:00
  
  The science and engineering workforce in the United States is aging rapidly, according to a new study. And it is only going to get older in coming years.
  
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• Ancient mice teeth show settled villages made ecological impact long before agriculture

  27-03-2017 21:00
  
  Long before the advent of agriculture, hunter-gatherers began putting down roots in the Middle East, building more permanent homes and altering the ecological balance in ways that allowed the common house mouse to flourish, new research in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences indicates.
  
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• Android co-founder gives us a first look at his secretive new smartphone - BGR

  27-03-2017 20:30
  
  BGR
  Android co-founder gives us a first look at his secretive new smartphone
  BGR
  Andy Rubin, one of the co-founders of Android and a man who will never have to buy a drink in a bar full of developers, is working on something new. His company Essential is known to be working on a premium new smartphone to challenge the iPhone 8 ...
  Andy Rubin Just Teased His Company's First PhoneDroid Life (press release) (blog)
  The guy who invented Android just teased his new company's smartphone for the f
  
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• Uber is officially resuming all of its self-driving car tests after a big accident over the weekend - Business Insider

  27-03-2017 19:55
  
  Business Insider
  Uber is officially resuming all of its self-driving car tests after a big accident over the weekend
  Business Insider
  Uber self-driving car accident Arizona An Uber self-driving car was involved in an accident in Tempe, Arizona. Fresco News/ Mark Beach. Uber is resuming its self-driving-car pilot programs in Pittsburgh and Arizona beginning Monday afternoon.
  Uber resumes self-driving car program after brief suspensionThe Boston Globe
  Uber puts self-driving cars back on the road
  
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• WATCH: A look inside Russian cyberhacking

  27-03-2017 19:44 via abcnews.go.com
  
  Cyber-expert Anup Ghosh, CEO of cybersecurity firm Invincea, talks with ABC News' Pierre Thomas about how Russian hackers can infiltrate other countries' networks.
  
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• France's classic 2CV car gets special edition—in wood

  27-03-2017 19:00
  
  A wooden replica of Citroen's iconic "2CV", crafted by a French cabinetmaker using a mix of lumbers including apple, pear and cherry, is ready to hit the road.
  
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• Climate-addled jet streams boost drought, flood: study

  27-03-2017 18:53
  
  Global warming amplifies severe droughts and floods by disrupting jet streams, the powerful high-altitude air currents that move west-to-east across the northern hemisphere, researchers said Monday.
  
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• Uber suspends self-driving car program in 2 states

  27-03-2017 18:51
  
  Uber says its self-driving cars remains suspended in Arizona and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, following a crash over the weekend.
  
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• Manufacturer: Drones should transmit identifier for security

  27-03-2017 18:51
  
  The world's largest manufacturer of civilian drones is proposing that the craft continually transmit identification information to help government security agencies and law enforcement figure out which might belong to rogue operators.
  
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• Basic microbiology research study unexpectedly uncovers practical findings for growers

  27-03-2017 18:51
  
  Cover cropping, or the practice of growing unharvested crops to protect and enrich the soil during off-season periods, is a promising approach to reducing some of the negative environmental impacts of production agriculture.
  
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• NASA sees Tropical Cyclone Debbie approaching Queensland for landfall

  27-03-2017 18:49
  
  NASA's Aqua satellite passed over the storm early on March 27, 2017 as Tropical Cyclone Debbie had intensified into a powerful hurricane already affecting the coast of eastern Queensland, Australia.
  
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• Physicists settle controversy over identical particle entanglement

  27-03-2017 18:30
  
  (Phys.org)—In a new study, physicists have shown a way to establish real entanglement between two identical particles—a topic that has been disputed until now. The results provide a better understanding of the fundamental nature of entanglement between identical particles and have potential applications in quantum information processing.
  
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• Study finds social media course impacts online behavior in first-year medical students

  27-03-2017 18:26
  
  Researchers at the George Washington University (GW) School of Medicine and Health Sciences found a majority of first-year medical students changed their online behavior after participating in a social media and professionalism course. The study results show that a formal education on responsible social media use is beneficial to medical students as they develop professional habits that are inclusive of social media, and look to avoid behavior that would be detrimental to their careers.
  
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• Self-assembly technique could lead to long-awaited, simple method for making smaller microchip patterns

  27-03-2017 18:19
  
  For the last few decades, microchip manufacturers have been on a quest to find ways to make the patterns of wires and components in their microchips ever smaller, in order to fit more of them onto a single chip and thus continue the relentless progress toward faster and more powerful computers. That progress has become more difficult recently, as manufacturing processes bump up against fundamental limits involving, for example, the wavelengths of the light used to create the patterns.
  
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• Graphene-based neural probes probe brain activity in high resolution

  27-03-2017 18:19
  
  Measuring brain activity with precision is essential to developing further understanding of diseases such as epilepsy and disorders that affect brain function and motor control. Neural probes with high spatial resolution are needed for both recording and stimulating specific functional areas of the brain. Now, researchers from the Graphene Flagship have developed a new device for recording brain activity in high resolution while maintaining excellent signal to noise ratio (SNR). Based on graphen
  
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• Hubble Image of the Week – NGC 4424 and LEDA 213994

  27-03-2017 18:04 via scitechdaily.com
  
  This newly released Hubble image of the week shows NGC 4424 and LEDA 213994. Some astronomical objects have endearing or quirky nicknames, inspired by mythology...
  The post Hubble Image of the Week – NGC 4424 and LEDA 213994 appeared first on SciTech Daily.
  
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• New Self-Assembly Technique Could Lead to Smaller Microchip Patterns

  27-03-2017 18:02 via scitechdaily.com
  
  Using a self-assembly technique in which materials known as block copolymers are covered by a second polymer, scientists have found a long-awaited, simple method for...
  The post New Self-Assembly Technique Could Lead to Smaller Microchip Patterns appeared first on SciTech Daily.
  
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• Why are primates big-brained? Researchers' answer is food for thought

  27-03-2017 18:01
  
  Brain size in primates is predicted by diet, an analysis by a team of New York University anthropologists indicates. These results call into question "the social brain hypothesis," which has posited that humans and other primates are big-brained due to factors pertaining to sociality.
  
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• Planetary waves, first found on Earth, are discovered on Sun

  27-03-2017 18:01
  
  The same kind of large-scale planetary waves that meander through the atmosphere high above Earth's surface may also exist on the Sun, according to a new study led by a scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR).
  
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• Intel Optane Memory has a mission: Make hard drives faster than SSDs - PCWorld

  27-03-2017 18:00
  
  PCWorld
  Intel Optane Memory has a mission: Make hard drives faster than SSDs
  PCWorld
  Intel's Optane Memory could be the most revolutionary letdown in storage history. Announced Monday morning, these first consumer Optane-based devices will be available April 24 in two M.2 trims: A 16GB model for $44 and a 32GB Optane Memory device ...
  Intel Launches Optane Memory M.2 Cache SSDs For Consumer MarketAnandTech
  Intel Claims Its Magical New Memory Will Speed Your Computer Up for CheapGizmodo
  Int
  
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• NASA spacecraft investigate clues in radiation belts

  27-03-2017 17:57
  
  High above Earth, two giant rings of energetic particles trapped by the planet's magnetic field create a dynamic and harsh environment that holds many mysteries—and can affect spacecraft traveling around Earth. NASA's Van Allen Probes act as space detectives, to help study the complex particle interactions that occur in these rings, known as the Van Allen radiation belts. Recently, the spacecraft were in just the right place, at just the right time, to catch an event caused by the fallout
  
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• Farming becoming riskier under climate change

  27-03-2017 17:56
  
  Scientists the world over are working to predict how climate change will affect our planet. It is an extremely complex puzzle with many moving parts, but a few patterns have been consistent, including the prediction that farming as we know it will become more difficult.
  
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• Nanocages dramatically facilitate structure formation of biomolecules

  27-03-2017 17:55
  
  Macromolecules regularly fold and unfold themselves inside cells. Their diverse three-dimensional structures help determine their functions. Understanding molecule folding can shed light on complex physical processes that may influence diseases, cancers and allergies.
  
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• Hubble Reveals a Supermassive Black Hole Kicked Out of Galactic Core

  27-03-2017 17:54 via scitechdaily.com
  
  Using the Hubble Space Telescope, astronomers reveal a supermassive black hole that has been propelled out of the center of the distant galaxy 3C186. The...
  The post Hubble Reveals a Supermassive Black Hole Kicked Out of Galactic Core appeared first on SciTech Daily.
  
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• Friction shapes zebrafish embryos

  27-03-2017 17:53
  
  A simple ball of cells is the starting point for humans—and zebrafish. At the end of embryonic development, however, a fish and a human look very different. The biochemical signals at play have been studied extensively. How mechanical forces on the other hand shape the embryo is the subject of a study by Carl-Philipp Heisenberg, Professor at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (IST Austria), and his group, including first author and postdoc Michael Smutny.
  
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• The first crowdfunded study in Japan: Micro X-ray observation of a fleshy brittle star

  27-03-2017 17:07
  
  Not only have scientists from Japan performed the first non-destructive morphological observations on the Fleshy brittle star, Asteronyx loveni, using micro X-ray tomography, but they also published their research as the first study supported via crowdfunding in the Asian country.
  
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• Carnegie Mellon's CyLab challenges high school students to give hacking a try

  27-03-2017 17:07
  
  Carnegie Mellon University aims to build a talent pipeline into the cyber workforce by introducing computer security skills to middle and high school students through picoCTF, a free, online hacking contest that starts March 31, 2017. Now in its third year, the virtual game of capture the flag (CTF) has previously drawn nearly 30,000 people.
  
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• Tracking real-time proton induced radiation chemistry in water

  27-03-2017 17:06
  
  Proton therapy is a promising form of radiation treatment used to kill cancerous cells and effectively halt their rapid reproduction. While this treatment can also be delivered in different modalities (i.e. electrons and X-rays), proton therapy limits damage to healthy tissue by depositing energy in a highly localized dose volume.
  
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• New rice strain could help farmers predetermine harvest time

  27-03-2017 17:04
  
  A new strain of rice that flowers within a certain period of time after being sprayed with commercial chemicals commonly used to protect rice from fungal diseases is now available, say Japanese scientists. This new strain could one day allow rice farmers to dictate the timing of their harvest regardless of weather, temperature and other conditions that currently affect cultivation.
  
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• Stars born in winds from supermassive black holes

  27-03-2017 17:01
  
  Observations using ESO's Very Large Telescope have revealed stars forming within powerful outflows of material blasted out from supermassive black holes at the cores of galaxies. These are the first confirmed observations of stars forming in this kind of extreme environment. The discovery has many consequences for understanding galaxy properties and evolution. The results are published in the journal Nature.
  
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• The electric sands of Titan: The grains that cover Saturn's moon act like clingy packing peanuts

  27-03-2017 17:00
  
  Experiments led by researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology suggest the particles that cover the surface of Saturn's largest moon, Titan, are "electrically charged." When the wind blows hard enough (approximately 15 mph), Titan's non-silicate granules get kicked up and start to hop in a motion referred to as saltation. As they collide, they become frictionally charged, like a balloon rubbing against your hair, and clump together in a way not observed for sand dune grains on Earth&mdash
  
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• Enzyme structures illuminate mechanism behind bacteria's bioremediation prowess

  27-03-2017 17:00
  
  Bacteria, like humans and animals, must eat. Sometimes, they consume a pollutant in the environment that humans want to get rid of, a process called bioremediation. Investigating the enzymes used by bacteria to carry out that process is important for scientists to understand and possibly improve on these powerful reactions. However, until now, having a snapshot of one of these important enzymes in action has eluded science.
  
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